CM hold video conference with farm outfits in Punjab, farmers hail Punjab Government stand to review Ordinances
Ferozepur, July 2, 2020: The Chief Minister, Punjab Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday had a video conference with the various farmer's organizations attached with Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee Punjab, for more than two hours.
Leaders of farmers' unions of Punjab unanimously passed a resolution, urging the Centre to reconsider and withdraw the same.
Capt Amarinder Singh had already written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the three recently issued Central Government ordinances related to the farming sector, in the interest of farmers. Rather the proposal of challenging the Ordinances in court would also be examined legally, said CM.
In fact, the changes as per the Ordinance, in the agriculture marketing system, had led to wide spread apprehension among farmers of the state that the Union Government was planning to withdraw from the assured procurement of foodgrains produced by them.
During the two and a half hour video conference convened by the Chief Minister, the stand taken by Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee Punjab was that the Central Government had issued three ordinances in the name of agrarian reforms to make one country one market. 2020, Price Guarantee Agricultural Services (Power and Trust) and Essential Commodities Rules 1955 Ordinance 2020.
Stressing the need to protect the Punjab and its farming needs, Satnam Singh Pannu, State President and Sarwan Singh Pandher, General Secretary said, the introduction of Ordinances will have overall adverse impact rather than bringing reforms in agriculture sector.
They said, our organization strongly condemns the support being given by the Central Government and its ally Akali Dal to usurp and ruin the rights of the farmers and the states.
Appreciating the stand of the Punjab government against the three Ordinances drafted by the Union Government, the farmer leaders further demanded that the Punjab Government should convene a special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to repeal the draft of the above three ordinances and the Power Amendment Bill 2020 and send it to the Central Government. The amendment made on August 14, 2017 should also be cancelled so that the farmers of Punjab, the structure of 1873 agricultural markets, the federal structure of the states and the future of Punjab could be saved.
The agitation has been going on continuously for the last one month and the role of SAD and BJP is being exposed in the villages. The houses of all the sitting MPs including the houses of Harsimrat Kaur Badal and BJP's Som Prakash would be cordoned off and the agitation would be further intensified between July 6-13.